Nor from South Korea. Exporters could lose out from Japan’s efforts to weaken the yen, since they compete with Japanese exporters; but the central bank governor has said it’s too early to start lowering interest rates to juice the economy.

While you were sleeping

Pope Benedict spoke up about his resignation. In his first appearance since the announcement, the pope said he chose to quit “in full liberty for the good of the church.”

Nuclear inspectors returned to Iran. International Atomic Energy Agency officials want access to a military site in Parchin, south of Tehran, where some believe Iran has carried out tests on triggers for atomic weaponry.

Euro-zone industrial production did better than expected. Output in the 17-member monetary bloc rose 0.7% in December, but that only reversed a revised 0.7% fall in November.

US retail sales growth slowed in January. Everyone is wondering whether the payroll tax hike is going to pinch spending.

California manhunt ends with charred remains. Officials believe they belong to fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner, who is thought to have killed three people, including a police officer. Dorner had published a manifesto on Facebook in which outlined plans to kill the families of police officers. The remains must still be positively identified.

EU-US free-trade deal would be “the largest ever.” Following President Obama’s mention of an EU-US trade pact in his State of the Union speech on Feb. 12, EU Commission head José Manuel Barroso said it would be a global “game-changer.”

Gina Chon asks whether some companies just can’t be saved. “JC Penney at one point seemed to be adapting to a changing world. But now it increasingly looks like yet another desperate attempt to prolong a failing brand. To be fair, clothing stores in general are being hit by weak US retail sales, which rose by only 0.1% in January. And under Johnson’s vision, redesigned JC Penney outlets are doing better than older models. But the company’s decision last month to bring back coupons may be too late for customers who left and are not coming back.” Read more here.